Technology
to a newly discovered patent filing, it appears that Samsung is developing a completely round smartwatch of its own According to a newly discovered patent filing, it appears that Samsung is developing a completely round smartwatch of its own Samsung is widely considered as the initiator of the smart watch industry. They were the first to introduce the one of a kind smart watch in September 2013. Following the success of the first smart watch, the Galaxy Gear, they launched a whole line of smartwatches which included the Gear 2, Gear Neo, and lastly the Gear S. Considering the trend it was a surprise for many that Samsung did not launch a smart watch at the Mobile World Congress 2015 with the Samsung S6 and Samsung S6 Edge. Where Samsung has stayed ahead of market trends in the smart watch category, they have not adopted the round face design as yet. LG and Motorola are going strong and are working towards the launch of this round face smartwatch which would be a first for the smartwatch business. Upon questioning, the Executive Vice president of the Samsung Mobile Marketing, Young-hee Lee, answered that the sole reason for not introducing the smartwatch alongside the S6 series was to break the status quo. Samsung was associated with launching the mobile phone and wearable simultaneously; thus, they now want to change this cycle and develop something more unique. The company requires time and resources to invest in their unique upcoming idea; hence, they have halted the launch of wearables for the time being. Mr. Lee’s statement coincides with the application submitted last May, by the company which entails the design of the round smart watch. According, to the application the round face smartwatch consists of a rotating bezel ring and a crown shaped power button. The patent application also mentions the special features including; image recognition, barcode register, and gesture controls all of which would add to the experience of wearing a smartwatch. The Samsung Orbis aims towards taking the experience of wearable to a whole new level. The round watch would not only serve the purpose of a hand accessory as served by the previous smart watches. In fact, Orbis could be multi-purpose and may be used as a keychain, necklace, and an armband. People take pride in wearing these luxurious smart watches; therefore, the Orbis would also serve the purpose of being a luxurious item, given the features it would contain. To add to the joy of loyal Samsung customers, the camera which was eliminated from the Gear S would now be added back to the Orbis and may serve as an additional incentive for users to purchase this new item even before the launch. Last year during the IFA in Berlin, Samsung launched the Gear S and it is rumored that they may launch the Orbis along the same time period this year. What Samsung needs to keep into view is the launch of the Pebble smartwatch by Pebble, new Android devices such as the Watch Urbane, and the Apple Watch. All of these are currently in the process of launching their smart watches and may even launch it before Samsung gets Orbis into the market. Special attention needs to be given to the Apple Watch which is scheduled to be launched next month. The success of the Orbis will only be determined once it is launched and will be a crucial point for Samsung as it would decide whether the company would able to maintain its position as market leader of the smartwatch industry or not.